A firefighter who responded to a call at Simply Self Storage in Ormond Beach, Fla., on Sunday got sick after a chemical splashed on him at the scene.

Aug 16, 2011

A firefighter who responded to a call at Simply Self Storage in Ormond Beach, Fla., on Sunday got sick after a chemical splashed on him at the scene.

Firefighter Bill Kimmy from Holly Hill, Fla., was assisting Ormond Beach firefighters at the self-storage facility when he found a 35-gallon drum smoking in one of the storage units. When the drum was doused with water, the chemical it contained splashed out onto Kimmys arm, causing respiratory difficulty and vomiting within 20 minutes.

Kimmy was taken to Halifax Health Medical Center, where he was stable but kept overnight for observation. The chemical to which he was exposed was some kind of ammonia product used to bleach air, according to the Ormond Beach Battalion Chief.

At 5:42 p.m. on Sunday, the fire department received reports of white smoke coming out of three or four units at the Simply Self Storage facility on Yonge Street.

Simply Self Storage has facilities in 15 states and Puerto Rico. It has nine facilities in Florida.